Space Cowboys and Outlaws
by Shadow of the Forgotten
Summary: It was just another day on the Outlaw Star until they get a surprise visit from the Bebop crew. What's this, Gene has a bounty on his head? Outlaw Star, Cowboy Bebop crossover.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Outlaw Star or Cowboy Bebop or anything affiliated with said shows.

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

* * *

"Hey Gilliam, I'm all finished down here, go ahead and fire it up." Jim said as he popped his head out from underneath the main console of the XGP.

"Right away Jim." Gilliam's robotic voice replied over the speaker system since his little pink robot was currently working on repairs somewhere else.

Sliding his body out, Jim stood up and tossed his mini-computer on Gene's seat before looking up to the screens that ran the entire length of the ship's cockpit. A series of diagnostic reports were running down them and Jim quickly scanned the information as the Outlaw Star ran through its startup process one final time.

"Main engines online. All systems go." Gilliam said once he was finished. "We are ready to launch as soon as the rest of the crew arrives."

Jim stretched his arms over his head then picked up his computer and shoved it into his pocket. "They should be here soon enough. Gene said they were only going out for supplies, and Mel promised she'd keep him out of trouble."

"What about Suzuka and Aisha?" Gilliam asked curiously. "Will they be joining us this time as well?"

"Not sure." Jim replied absently. "Aisha said something about a job and Suzuka mentioned some kind of meeting, but who knows. I guess we'll find out if they get here." Scratching his head he glanced around the empty area and nodded. "Since everything's set in here I think I'll go and take a shower. Let me know when they arrive please."

"Very we-."

Blinking when the voice cut out, Jim turned towards the main screen curiously. "Hey Gilliam, you alright?"

"…ha, Ed found you!" A childish voice said cheerfully after several moments of silence. "They said Ed wouldn't be able to do it, but Ed showed them. Ed's the greatest, isn't that right Ein?"

The voice faded a little, Jim assumed it moved away from a microphone, and soon giggles could be heard along with what sounded like someone jumping around. "…um, hello?" He asked slowly. "Is someone there?"

Crashes were heard before the voice came over the speakers once more. "Hello! My name's Ed. Oh, and this is Ein. Say hi Ein."

Jim jumped into the nearest seat, which just so happened to be Aisha's, and jacked his computer into the port. Pressing a few buttons, he began scanning. "Okay, so you're Ed. Well Ed, my name is Jim."

"Nice to meet you Jim!" Ed chirped.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too." Jim replied, covering up the beep his computer made when it found what it was searching for by clearing his throat. His fingers flew over the keys as he began a trace on whoever was hacking into Gilliam's A.I. "So, um, what are you doing Ed? Are you looking for anything in particular?"

"Yep, you, but Ed already found you so there's nothing to search for anymore." Ed's voice sounded disappointed at the thought of not having anything to do, but then it perked right up. "Want to play a game with me? Do you know the game chess? Ed is really good. Spike and Faye-Faye won't play with Ed and Jet is way too easy to beat so Ed's always looking for a new opponent."

Eyes never leaving his screen, Jim's response was halfhearted at best. "Eh, sure, I'll play you sometime." There was a girlish squeal, but he ignored it in favor of following the hack. Whoever it was knew what they were doing and he was having a hell of a time trying to find the starting location. The signal bounced off just about every satellite in the surrounding galaxy and it was still going. Suddenly the door to the cockpit opened with a hiss and Jim jerked his head up in surprise.

"You sure are jumpy tonight." Gene said as he pulled off his jacket and tossed it over the back of his seat. "Something wrong?"

Jim opened his mouth to explain what was going on when Gilliam's voice came over the speakers and the screens returned to normal. It was as if nothing had happened.

"Welcome back Gene, Melfina. How was your trip?" Gilliam asked politely.

Melfina, who had come in behind Gene, smiled at the small pink robot that dropped down from the ceiling. "It was fine. We managed to get all of the necessary supplies for the ship, as well as some specialty items for the kitchen I've been wanting for awhile now."

"Yeah, Aisha's storing all the gear in the cargo hold as we speak. We'll leave once the girls get up here." Gene said, kicking his feet up on the console near his seat.

"I'll be in the kitchen if anyone needs me." Melfina said as she turned around and headed out. "It's time for me to start lunch."

Waving, Gene leaned back and got comfortable in his chair. "Will do. Oh, and how about adding some of that new spicy stuff we got to the stew."

Melfina smiled. "Sure, anything else?" She asked. When Gene shook his head, she nodded. "I'll see you guys later then." With that she was gone.

Jim watched things unfold in a kind of daze and he was starting to wonder if maybe he'd imagined the whole scenario with the weird voice. The computer in his hands beeped again and his eyes widened when he saw what was on the screen.

_Ed will play with you soon. Bye-bye!_

Nearly dropping the computer in his shock, Jim stood up and began to step away from the seat he had occupied.

"I knew you sat in my seat while I was gone." Aisha said from the doorway, hands on her hips and a frown on her face. "What have I told you about staying away from my spot you little shrimp."

"Relax Aisha, I'm sure Jim was only checking the weapons system, there's no need to get so mad." Suzuka said calmly as she stepped around the Ctarl-Ctarl to take her seat on the opposite side of the cockpit. "Although why I bother telling you anything is beyond me, your head's so thick I doubt anything gets through that skull of yours."

"What did you say?" Aisha growled, her anger shifting almost immediately.

Suzuka waved a hand at her dismissively. "Nothing."

Before the two could get into an actual fight, and most likely destroy part of the ship in the process, Gene sat up and whistled to get their attention. When their eyes focused on him, he shook his head. "Give it a rest you two, we're on the port's schedule here and I won't be fined just so you can sit there and bicker. If you want to fight, save it until you're off the ship will ya."

Aisha glared at Suzuka before sitting down with a huff. "Whatever, she's not worth the effort anyway." She muttered under her breath.

Since the fight had been dealt with and everything was quiet now, Gene pulled out his key and inserted it into the ignition. "Alright Gilliam, let's get going."

"Engines on." Gilliam stated. "Navigation and weapon systems all functioning normally."

Gene took a hold of the gear sticks with a smile. "Then here we go."

Everyone was so focused on Gilliam and Gene that no one noticed when Jim slipped out of the cockpit and headed to his room. Tucking his computer into his pocket, he rubbed a hand over his eyes. "I wonder if I should tell Gene about Ed. He did hack into Gilliam after all, but then again, he didn't really do anything…at least not that I can find." He mumbled to himself as he walked down the hallway. "Maybe I'll just keep this to myself for now, until I can figure out exactly what happened anyway."

ooooo

Ed rolled around on the floor with a computer held above her. Scratching her head with her toe, she looked over at the dog next to her. "Hey Ein, what did you think of our new friend?"

"Who are you talking to Ed?" Faye asked from the hall as she stepped into the room.

"Ed made a new friend." Ed said with a smile, looking up at Faye from her spot on the floor.

Taking as seat on the couch, Faye smiled. "I see, and who is this new friend of yours?" She asked as she crossed her legs.

Spike came in and plopped down opposite Faye. Kicking his feet up on the table he leaned back in the seat. "Who cares, what I want to know is if you found out where our next bounty is hiding."

"Yep, Ed found the Outlaw Star ship. It took a little longer than usual, and Ed had to bounce the signal all over the galaxy, but the coordinates are right here." Ed replied without looking away from her screen. "They're docked at Blue Heaven, but the logs say they'll be leaving port soon and heading into space. I put a tracker on their ship so we'll be able to follow them."

"So who are we going after this time?" Jet asked as he joined the others in the room. "And please tell me the bounty's at least worth the risk. I won't get my head shot off for anything less than 10,000."

Spike leaned forward and hit a few buttons on a remote near the table causing the screen to come alive. An image of a red headed guy with a smirk floated in mid air, the words 'Gene Starwind, Owner/Pilot of the Outlaw Star' running beneath it. "Here's the guy we're after, said to be some kind of Outlaw that flies with a rag-tag crew. Shouldn't be too difficult to bring in."

"And how much is he worth?" Jet asked again, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow curiously.

"Yeah, he sure doesn't look like much and there's nothing listed here about what he's done or why he's wanted." Faye added as she leaned over Spike's leg to get a better look.

Pushing the scantily clad woman off, Spike flicked off the screen. "Actually, it's a private bounty. Heard about it from a friend, and yes the guy who's offering it is legit, some kind of businessman or something. Don't know why, but that's none of our concern anyway so long as we get paid right?"

Jet nodded. "True, but you still haven't answered my question. How much is the bounty on this guy?"

Spike was silent for a moment and Faye and Jet leaned in as the anticipation grew. "The bounty's 100,000." He said finally, smirking when Faye almost fell off the couch in shock.

"Seriously?" Faye asked. "That much for some pathetic looking guy?"

Jet stepped closer and looked Spike directly in the eye. "What's the catch? What aren't you telling us?"

"Nothing." Spike said as he pulled out a cigarette and lit up. "I heard a rumor that the guy offering the bounty has some kind of connection to this Starwind fella, but everything checked out. It's a simple pick up and deliver job."

Faye sat back and tapped her chin in thought. "Then why the high bounty? I mean what's so special about this guy anyway?"

Shrugging, Spike took another drag before snuffing it out on the bottom of his shoe. "Who cares, the job's legit so I say we just grab the guy and get our money."

"Sounds good to me. I haven't had a decent meal in days; it'll be good to finally have some actual food again." Jet said as he headed towards the cockpit of the Bebop. "So where are we headed?"

"Blue Heaven, or at least that general vicinity." Spike replied. "Ed says they'll be leaving soon, so we're likely to meet them in space which'll make things a little easier for us, no outside interference and whatnot." Faye stood up and began walking away so he called after her. "And where do you think you're going?"

"I think I'll go take a nap. My fighter's in need of some serious repairs remember, it won't be of any use in a fight so I'm obviously not going to be needed. Wake me when we get paid." With a wave, she disappeared down the hall.

"Faye-Faye is tired." Ed sang as she began rolling around on the floor again. "Ed thinks Ein's tired too."

Pulling out another cigarette, Spike snorted. "If that freeloader thinks she's going to get any of that bounty she's lost her damn mind." He muttered under his breath.

ooooo

Gene released the controls and ran a hand through his hair. "Hey Gilliam, set a course for Sentinel III." He said before yawning.

"Heading home?" Suzuka asked around her cup of tea.

"Yeah, we haven't been there in a while and there are a few things I need to get for the ship back at the garage. That and I heard about another possible job offer and figured why not." Gene said as he stood up with a stretch. Grabbing his jacket off the back of his seat, he tossed it over one shoulder. "I'm taking a nap, let me know if there's any trouble." Waving, he walked out and headed down the hallway.

Once Gene was out of sight Aisha leaned over the edge of her chair and crossed her arms so she could rest her chin on them. "Hey, want to play a game or something? We've got a few hours before we get planet-side and I don't want to sit around doing nothing. I've got a deck of cards." She offered, waving the small pack in the air with a grin.

Suzuka took another sip of tea before standing. "Why don't you go bother Jim, I'm sure he'll jump at a chance to beat you again."

"I would, but he's not here right now and you are. It's so much easier to just bug you instead of walking all the way to his room." Aisha said cheekily, receiving a face full of lukewarm tea for the comment.

Without another word Suzuka left the cockpit.

Aisha rolled her eyes as she wiped the water off with her hand. "Geez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." She muttered, climbing out of her seat. Glancing around the empty area, she shrugged before heading out. There wasn't anyone left to bother so she may as well leave too.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Outlaw Star or Cowboy Bebop or anything affiliated with said shows.

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

* * *

It had been nearly an hour since he'd last moved and Jim still wasn't any closer to figuring out what had happened. Running through the data he'd recorded during the earlier hack, again, he scratched his head in confusion. "Why exactly was that Ed guy looking for us and just who is he?" He asked out loud. "And how in the hell did he manage to get through all my firewalls and traps." Typing a few commands, he watched the screen as it ran another check, the tenth, but who was counting, frowning when it came back with nothing once again.

"Maybe Ed's another A.I., like Gilliam." He mumbled as the sixth signal trace came to an abrupt halt somewhere at the edge of the galaxy. A little father than it had made it last time, but still no sign of the source. "Or a crazy good hacker I suppose, but I haven't heard of anyone that good in…well, years." He was about to close the screen and head to the kitchen for a bite to eat when a smiley face appeared on it.

The small red face began to move about the screen and words formed beneath it. _Ready to play now? Ed has the game all set up._

Blinking, Jim stared at the face as it began to spin and jump around his little screen and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Twice in as many hours, that shouldn't be possible. I even tripled my security measures and he still busted in with no problem. Who the hell is this guy?" Grumbling, he typed in a response. _Sure, who's first? _No use angering the guy since it was obvious he could do whatever he wanted to Gilliam.

_Ed will let you go first since you are Ed's new friend._ The screen displayed a few seconds later.

Knowing that tracing the signal was pointless, Jim focused instead on trying to hack into it. He bypassed several firewalls and thought he was making progress when three more popped up and locked him out. Grinding his teeth together in frustration, he frowned. "I thought I was pretty good with computers, but this guy makes me look like a damn amateur."

The image on the screen disappeared and was replaced with a chess board, black and white pieces already in place. A miniature version of the smiley face was dancing over the black side and Jim's name was hovering over the other side.

Without thinking, Jim moved his knight forward and to the left, Ed copying his move a moment later. He chose to move a pawn next and watched as Ed moved his other knight forward and to the right this time. Several minutes passed by, one move after another being made, as both players tried to get a read on their opponent while at the same time trying to give nothing away themselves.

Things probably would've continued this way until the game ended, but about halfway through Ed's voice suddenly came over the line. "Sorry, Ed has to go now. We'll finish this game later. Bye-bye!"

Jim stared at the screen for several minutes after the chessboard and pieces faded away. "..okay, that was weird." He said, closing his computer and scratching his head. Standing up, he pocketed the small device and headed out of his room. He'd been gone for awhile now and figured he should probably check up on Gilliam, or more accurately, make sure Gene hadn't messed anything up like he usually did. He'd only made it a few feet when one of the ship's bots dropped in front of his face.

"Great what has Gene done now?" Jim asked in irritation.

The machine stared at him for a moment, almost like it was trying to figure out if it was supposed to answer the question, before its little arms flailed around wildly. "We're under attack!" It cried in a panic.

It took Jim a few seconds to process what was said, but once he did he bolted for the cockpit as fast as he could. Less than a minute later he was sliding through the doorway, narrowly avoiding Melfina who was climbing into the link tube. "What's going on?" He asked as he stepped between Aisha's and Suzuka's seats and headed for his own in the front.

Gene punched a couple of buttons on his console then moved to grip the control for the grappler arms, just in case the ship moved within grappling distance. "No clue. This ship just showed up out of nowhere and locked on to us. They haven't actually fired yet, but no matter what we try we can't seem to lose them." He replied, growling in annoyance when Gilliam's screens popped up with yet another target lock.

"The ship is coming up from the rear. Five hundred feet and closing." Mel's voice said over the speakers.

"Why the hell aren't they firing?" Aisha asked in aggravation. "They've been following after us, locked on, but not shooting. What exactly do they want?"

"Should we fire a warning shot, they are getting quite close?" Suzuka asked, her eyes moving quickly over the screen attached to her chair.

Jim shook his head. "We can't go around firing at any ship that flies too close, even if they have a lock on us."

"Jim's right, let's try to contact them and see what they want…then we can shoot them." Gene finished with a grin.

Rolling his eyes, Jim tried to hail the other ship, first over a few normal channels, and when that didn't work over the more obscure ones. There was no response and he was trying to figure out how to tell Gene, and then convince the trigger happy captain that shooting was not a good option, when a very familiar smiley face appeared on his screen.

"Ed is here to play Jim!" Ed's voice said happily, startling everyone sitting in the cockpit.

All eyes turned to look at Jim in shock as silence fell over the crew. Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, Jim dropped his eyes to the floor. Before he could say a word, Aisha spoke up.

"…so, a friend of yours I take it?" She asked curiously.

ooooo

Ed held the computer over her head with a smile. It had taken them a little over an hour, but they'd finally managed to catch up. "Can Ed use the ship to play tag?" She asked without looking away from the screen. "Jim was very good at chess and Ed would like to play another game now."

"Not a chance. You can play after we've gotten our bounty, now leave the ship alone." Spike called back from the pilot's seat as he pulled up behind the ship they were after. "Hey Jet, you got the missiles ready for launch?"

"All set. Just remember to keep the shots away from the main part of the ship, wouldn't do to blow our bounty all to hell before we have a chance to get rich off him." Spike's voice said over the communication device that was sitting near the window. "I'm on my way back up."

Spike flicked a few buttons on the console and grinned. "Alright then, time to have some fun."

While Spike was busy targeting the ship, Ed hacked back into it. "Ed is here to play Jim!" She said happily, rolling over onto her stomach and resting her head on her arms. Tapping into the main video feed on the other ship; she piggybacked the signal so she could link her video up with it. It took a few seconds to be completed, much longer than usual, but she was far too excited about seeing her new friend face to face to focus very well. Grinning from ear to ear as the screen before her blinked, she waved when the image switched to the cockpit of the Outlaw Star. "Hello!" She called out.

There were several people there, the guy that the Bebop crew was searching for, a crazy looking cat lady, another lady with a small cup in her hand, a naked lady in a glass tube (what that was for she had no idea), and then finally her eyes came to rest on the smallest of the group, a young boy, maybe around her age, who was staring at the screen with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open.

Pressing her face closer to the screen in an attempt to get a better look at her new friend, Ed waved again. "What do you want to play now? Ed can't play tag yet, Spike said no using the ship until after his job was finished, but there are plenty of games we can play until then. You can pick this time if you want." She offered.

"Well damn, I guess that means we won't be fighting them after all." Gene said after some silence. "And I was looking for a good match, oh well."

Jim continued to stare at the image on the screen, not quite able to wrap his head around the fact that not only had this Ed guy hacked into Gilliam's A.I. again, but now he was literally right outside the door. "…uh…" He began, only to stop when he couldn't figure out what he wanted to say.

Aisha had no problem speaking, however, and she took over right away. "Hey Jim, introduce us to your little friend there. And then you can explain to us how exactly that kid took over Gilliam's screens like that."

"Yes, I am quite curious myself." Suzuka said as she put down her cup.

"Gilliam is being hacked; the signal is coming from the other ship." Melfina said, her voice sounding worried. "I can't stop the intrusion!"

That turned Gene serious and he sat up in his chair, eyes narrowing at the image on the screen. "What do you want?" He asked with a hint of anger. "And don't tell me you're doing all this for fun cause I don't buy it."

Ed looked over at Gene and cocked her head to the side. "Ed just wants to play with Jim, that's all. Ed didn't mean to upset anyone."

"And you expect me to believe that?" Gene scoffed. "Your ship has been locked onto us since you got here and now you're hacking into Gilliam, of course I'm upset. So now why don't you tell us what you really want or I'll blast your ship into tiny little pieces." Readying the missiles, he waited.

Ed scratched the tip of her nose in thought and then shook her head. "Ed is not supposed to tell people about what bounties we're going after. Jet gets mad and Spike threatens to kick Ed out. Faye-Faye doesn't mind, but she usually sides with Ed so that doesn't really count." She said finally.

"Bounties?" Gene asked, but he didn't have time to question further because at that moment the other ship began firing and he had to jerk the ship out of the way of the oncoming barrage.

"We've got incoming missiles from both sides." Suzuka called out as she and Aisha both turned their focus to the screens attached to their seats.

"And more coming in from the rear." Aisha added.

Melfina's voice came over the speakers. "The ship is moving out of the blast radius." She said as Gene twisted the ship around in an arc, barely avoiding the first round of fire.

"Launch the decoys." Gene called out when the second round closed in. "This is going to be close so everyone hang on to something."

Jim hunched into his seat, eyes still focused on Ed's smiling face. His thoughts moved to the fight they were currently engaged in and he frowned. Something didn't seem right. Ed said they were looking for a bounty, but then they started shooting. So either the bounty wasn't on the ship or they were only looking to disable them so they couldn't run away. Since they hadn't been hit yet, he assumed it was the latter, but there was only one way to find out. Gripping the seat tighter as the ship jerked to the side, Jim pulled out his computer and did some hacking of his own.

It took him over a minute to accomplish the task, what with the sudden movements of the Outlaw Star and Gene's outburst every time a new set of missiles were launched, so when he finally managed to set up a video link with the cockpit he breathed a sigh of relief. Staring at the black haired man who was looking a little too enthusiastic about shooting at them, Jim cleared his throat. "Um, excuse me. I was wondering if we could speak for a moment." He said.

Spike looked up from his console in surprise at the sudden voice. Raising an eyebrow, he called back over his shoulder. "Hey Ed, why is there some brat on my screen? Didn't I tell you not to play around until we'd gotten our bounty?"

"Ed has no idea what you're talking about Spike. Ed has only been talking to her friend." Ed's voice said before her head peeked into the cockpit. Looking at the screen she smiled. "Jim! Are you here to play now?"

Jim looked from Ed to the one called Spike and then back again. "You're a girl?" He blurted out only to quickly cover his mouth with his hand when Spike raised an eyebrow at him. "…um, I mean…" He trailed off.

There was a moment of silence before Spike raised his hand and placed it over a green button in front of him. "Well it's been fascinating, but I'd really like to get back to my job now." He was about to drop his hand when Ed caught his sleeve. Looking at her questioningly, he pulled his arm back.

"What does Jim want?" She asked, leaning closer to the boy's image. "Ed said we'd play, but Ed never expected you'd come here."

Shaking his head, Jim tried to focus. "Actually, I wanted to talk and see if we couldn't end this fight before someone gets hurt." He said slowly.

"If you hand over the bounty we're after then you can go. We've got no quarrel with the rest of you, but we're not leaving without him." Spike replied, leaning back and crossing his arms.

"Him?" Jim asked. "Who exactly are you af-…" His eyes widened as he pieced things together. "You're after Gene aren't you? But why, he hasn't done anything to warrant a bounty on his head. I keep a close eye on all bounties that go out and he's not been posted yet."

Spike shook his head. "That's not really any of your concern kid, suffice it to say that there's a very wealthy guy who's looking for him. He's willing to pay quite a sum to get his hands on your pilot."

"That doesn't make any sense." Jim muttered, fingers tapping against his leg in a sort of nervous habit.

"Doesn't have to." Spike said, launching a few more missiles for the fun of it. "Now how about you hand over this Gene character and we'll get out of your hair."

Jim narrowed his eyes in anger. "No, I won't hand over anyone. You're not turning any of my friends in for money."

Ed watched the exchange curiously, her eyes moving from Spike to Jim and then back again as the conversation continued. When things began to get heated, she scratched her head and cut in with a question of her own. "But isn't the bounty friends with the money man?" She asked. When they both turned to look at her, she held up her computer. "That's what it looks like to Ed."

Jim stared at the picture on the screen for a moment and then began laughing. "Oh you have got to be kidding me." He said once he'd calmed down enough to talk. "I knew he was a little off, but I never thought he'd put out a bounty on Gene. I think Fred has finally cracked."

"You know this guy?" Spike asked, pointing his thumb at the man on the screen.

"Unfortunately." Jim said with a sigh. "That's Fred Luo. He's been obsessed with Gene for as long as I've known them and he's always trying to convince Gene to stay with him. Of course Gene says no, but that never stops Fred from trying anyway. I guess this time he came up with a more ingenious plan."

They were silent again until Jim looked up with a smirk. "I think I may be willing to hand over Gene after all…if you're still interested that is." He said in a tone that bordered on evil.

Spike linked his fingers together and returned the smirk with one of his own. "I'm listening."

Since the conversation had moved on to uninteresting things, Ed turned around and left the room. Spinning around, she smiled at Ein when he followed after her. "Ed will play with you Ein. Ed's new friend is busy right now so Ed has some free time."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Outlaw Star or Cowboy Bebop or anything affiliated with said shows.

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

* * *

A few minutes later Jim looked up from his computer, quickly schooling his face into something less sinister looking so as to not draw attention to himself. Glancing around at the rest of the crew, he hesitated momentarily, worried that maybe the others wouldn't approve of what he was about to do, before shrugging. He'd already made up his mind anyway. Besides, he was fairly certain everyone would appreciate some down time. They'd been pulling one job after another for awhile now, trying to recap the money they'd spent on Gilliam's repairs after that little Soul Society debacle. Most of the ship's computers had needed to be replaced and there was quite a bit of damage to the exterior as well.

Nodding at his decision, Jim linked the video feed he'd been using to chat with Spike up to Gilliam's main screen and then turned to look at Gene. "Hey Gene, I've managed to get in contact with the other ship and they're willing to talk. I'm putting him up now."

Gene looked up from his screen and glared at the black haired man. "What the hell's the big idea?" He yelled angrily. "Attacking us for no reason, what's wrong with you?"

Ignoring the outraged captain, Spike spoke. "Hello crew of the Outlaw Star. My name is Spike and I'm the captain of the Bebop. I've called on you today to see if we can't end this little tussle of ours peacefully. Are you willing to negotiate?"

"Hell n-." Gene began, only to be cut off by a flying teacup nailing him in the side of his head.

"What is it you're looking for?" Suzuka asked diplomatically.

"I'm here for the bounty on Gene Starwind's head." Spike replied.

There was quite a bit of sputtering coming from Gene, and giggling from Aisha, but Suzuka ignored them both in favor of staring at Jim, who seemed to be trying really hard not to smile. Raising an eyebrow at the boy, she was about to question him when he pointed back to the screen and mouthed _listen to what he has to say_. Suzuka returned her focus to Spike. "I haven't heard about any bounty, what's he wanted for?"

"I haven't done anything, he's lying!" Gene cried in outrage, but a glare from Suzuka had him sinking back into his seat quietly.

"As far as I know, nothing." Spike said with a shrug. "But there's this really wealthy guy that wants to get his hands on Gene and he's willing to give us quite a lot of money if we deliver the man to him."

"And who exactly is this 'wealthy man'? Suzuka asked, still confused as to why Jim seemed to be okay with the situation.

Spike made a show of sifting through some papers before he held up a random sheet. "Says here his name is Fred Luo. He's some rich business type wh-."

Suzuka cut him off. "We're well aware of who Mr. Luo is." She said, speaking louder so her voice would carry over Aisha's howls of laughter. Rolling her eyes, she glanced over at Jim who was covering snickers behind his hand and shook her head. Well at least things made sense again.

"If you make things easy on me, I'd be willing to split the bounty with you 70/30." Spike said with a smirk.

"Take your offer and shove it, I'll never go with you willingly!" Gene said, readying the missiles for an all out attack. "Prepare to face the true power of the…hey, what just happened? Mel, I've lost all control of the ship!"

"Am I to assume that we'd get the 30?" Melfina's soft voice asked.

Spike nodded. "Of course, you're not the ones who'll have to turn the bounty in so I think it's only fair that we should get more for our extra work."

"Mel, you can't be seriously considering this. Just give me back control and I'll blast them to bits." Gene pleaded, but his words fell on deaf ears.

"I'm alright with the deal, how about the rest of you?" Suzuka questioned.

"Sounds good to me." Aisha said and Jim nodded as well.

Melfina hesitated for a moment, just long enough for Gene to start talking again.

"Come on Mel, don't do this to me." His tone had taken on a pathetic whine and nearly everyone else rolled their eyes at him.

"I'm sorry Gene, but you're always telling us we should take whatever jobs come our way and this one's about a good as they come. We don't even have to do anything, just hand you over and we make some money." Melfina finally said.

"Well that settles it." Aisha said as she jumped up from her seat and stalked over towards Gene. "What'll it be Captain, you wanna go willingly or do I need to be forceful?" Cracking her knuckles, she grinned.

Gene backed away from the Ctarl-Ctarl wide eyed and fearful. "No, come on you guys think about what you're doing! This is Fred Lou we're talking about!"

"Which is exactly why we're handing you over. We all know the man won't really harm you…scar you for life, maybe, but not harm you." Suzuka said calmly.

"But what have I ever done to deserv-." Gene never got to finish what he was saying because Aisha had gotten tired of listening to him and knocked him out with a hit to the back of the head. She caught him as he fell to the floor and tossed him over her shoulder. "So, ready for prisoner transfer?" She asked.

The next few minutes were spent lining the ships up and making sure that Gene was safely transferred across to the Bebop and its crew. Once he was on board the ship Spike's image appeared back on the screen. "It was a pleasure doing business with you; I'll have the money transferred to your account upon delivery." Giving them a mock salute, he clicked off the screen. Running a hand through his hair, he yawned and then stepped out of the cockpit and into the small living room area. He plopped down on the couch, kicked up his feet and closed his eyes. "Tell Jet I'm taking a nap." He mumbled sleepily.

Ed looked up from her computer screen. "Does this mean Ed can use the ship to play tag now?" She asked.

"Sorry Ed, we've got to get this bounty delivered. You can play with your friend later." Spike said through another yawn.

Pouting, Ed rolled onto her back and held the screen above her head. "But that's not fair. Spike said Ed could have the ship once he was finished. Spike lied." Jumping to her feet, Ed shrugged. "Oh well, if Ed can't play with the ship then Ed will just have to play with Spike's things." Laughing, she zoomed off down the hall.

It took Spike a few moments to process what she'd said, but when he did he was on his feet and running. "Stay the hell out of my room Ed!" He yelled as he raced after the child.

ooooo

Back on the Outlaw Star things had finally settled down and the remaining crew were back on course for Sentinel III. Aisha had gone to the kitchen for a snack, Suzuka was reading some book she'd brought from her room, and Jim was trying to erase all the random data that had been copied onto Gilliam's hard drive during the hack.

Melfina had been silent since Gene was transferred and didn't say a word until she'd left her linking tube. "Are you sure we did the right thing?" She asked once she'd stepped out. "Giving Gene away like that?"

"I wouldn't worry." Suzuka said. "I'm sure he'll be just fine."

Walking over to Gene's chair, Mel ran her fingers over it softly. "But how can you know?"

"Suzuka's right." Jim said from his seat. "Gene's got a transmitter so if anything looks funny we'll be able to help him, but there won't be any problems. I looked into everything before recommending the idea to Spike. We'll give Fred a few days with Gene and then bust him out, no big deal."

"Wait, you recommended it?" Suzuka asked.

Scratching the back of his head nervously, he hadn't meant to say that out loud, Jim slowly nodded. "…yeah. I kind of hacked into their ship and had a chat with Spike while you guys were busy dodging the missiles. In my defense I only did it to stop the fight; I had no idea what he wanted at first."

"And when you did?" Suzuka questioned curiously.

"Well, I guess it just sounded like a good idea at the time. Sorry." Jim apologized.

Melfina walked over and placed a hand on his head. "It's alright." She said, a small smile forming on her face. "Now that I know it was your idea, I feel so much better."

Jim breathed a sigh of relief. "So then you're not angry?" The hand on his head tightened and he winced in pain.

"Not too angry, but to make up for worrying me you're going to be in charge of clean up for the next month." Mel said, her smile turning into a smirk. Turning around, she headed out of the cockpit.

Clutching a hand to his chest, Jim took several deep breaths. "Man, she can be really scary sometimes." He said once she was gone. Falling limply into his seat, he turned to look at Suzuka when she moved.

"I suppose, but then it's not her I'd be worried about." Suzuka said as she tucked her book into her kimono. When Jim looked at her curiously, she elaborated. "You do know Gene's going to kill you when he gets back, right?" Jim's eyes widened and she smiled. "Well I think I'll leave you here to your thoughts, it's about time for another cup of tea."

As she disappeared from sight, Jim's heart rate continued to rise. "Oh god, I didn't even think about that." He said with a hint of fear. "Gene is going to be furious when he finds out it was my idea, he'll skin me alive." Staring blankly at the screen in front of him, he dropped his head down hard. "What am I going to do?" He wailed.


End file.
